EA bureau discusses Scotland's proactive role in the European Union | 14 December 2015 | Members of the European Alliance bureau visited the Scottish Parliament on Monday 14 December in a meeting hosted by Stewart Maxwell MSP. As part of the study visit they met with Keith Brown, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities and Christina McKelvie MSP, Convener European and External relations committee who dis ... |
Shetland Leader calls for Europe to recognise Islands and Remote areas | 11 December 2015 | The Leader of the Shetland Islands Council Gary Robinson, who represents Scotland at the European Committee of the Regions, COTER commission, tabled a range of proposals that aimed at ensuring that EU policies better reflect the problems of the Islands, remote areas, and more widely, local communities. Currently this is done by “EU statistical reg ... |
COTER: Rollandin pleased with OECD work on Urban-Rural Linkages | 11 December 2015 | On 11 December 2015 the COTER commission held a debate with OECD Deputy Secretary General Mari Kiviniemi on the state of play and future joint cooperation between the COR and OECD.
She reported on the results of the first Joint Consultation on Infrastructure Planning and Investments across levels of government and referred to the well-being ... |
Marek Olszewski: 'The learner' must be the prime beneficiary of education policies | 19 November 2015 | An important aspect was raised by the EA member Mr Marek Olszewski during the debate on fostering inclusion and equality through investment in education in the SEDEC commission. The recognition of skills and competences acquired through non formal and informal education is required to enhance employability, argued the EA member. There ... |
CIVEX: preventing radicalisation and violent extremism at the core of future work | 16 November 2015 | On 16 November CIVEX commission paid tribute to the victims of Paris Terrorist attacks and decided to focus future work on enhancing the capacities of local and regional authorities to prevent radicalisation and counter terrorist threats and violent extremism.
The commission's members adopted the work programme for 2016 which also lists mig ... |
EA group condemns the brutal attacks in Paris | 14 November 2015 | The President of the European Alliance group expressed his deep condolences to the victims and families of the brutal attacks in Paris on Friday night. These are attacks on the people of Europe and its values. President Szwabski added 'our thoughts and prayers are with the families at this very difficult time'. |
CoR plenary approves Silberg opinion on Draft EU budget for 2016 | 14 October 2015 | The CoR Plenary unanimously adopted the opinion of Dr Uno Silberg on the Draft EU budget for 2016.
The annual EU budget has both a direct and indirect impact on the budgets of local and regional authorities and that's important in helping than to carry out their assigned tasks in times of difficult economic environment and scarce financial ... |
EU regions call for greater support to harness the potential of ocean energy | 14 October 2015 | The CoR plenary adopted the opinion of the EA member and member of the Welsh Assembly, Rhodri Glyn Thomas on developing the potential of ocean energy.
Energy from tides and waves could provide up to 10%of electricity demand by 2050 and contribute to job creation at local level, the revitalization of small middle size ports and the developm ... |
EA group President Szwabski welcomes the creation of CoR task force on Ukraine | 30 September 2015 | At the first meeting of the CoR high level taskforce on Ukraine,the EA group President, Mr Stanisław Szwabski welcomed the initiative which will give greater interaction, advice and cooperation between the CoR and local and regional authorities in Ukraine.
Participants who also welcomed the CoR focus on Ukraine included Andrej Plen ... |
Cllr Enda Stenson calls for more investment in broadband in rural areas | 21 September 2015 | At the Agriculture and Rural development commission meeting (NAT) which was held on the 21st September, during a debate on "Innovation and modernization of the rural economy", Cllr Enda Stenson called for targeted and real investment in broadband and services in rural areas. He said that rural areas were being decimated by the lack ... |
EA Group members attend seminar on Crossborder Cooperation in Liberec | 17 September 2015 | On 17 September a delegation of members of the EA group led by the President Mr Szwabski participated in the COTER commission seminar on challenges for crossborder regions in Liberec (CZ). The region has a unique location as it borders with Poland and Germany The seminar objective was to identify the obstacles hampering cooperation between cross b ... |
EA President calls for a fair balance in investment across Europe | 01 September 2015 | At a high level meeting between the Conference of Presidents of the Committee of the Regions and the President and Directors of the European Investment Bank, both institutions agreed to cooperate more in promoting and encouraging investment across Europe in order to achieve the goals set out in the €315 billion 'Junker' plan. The Presi ... |
Future cooperation with EP REGI committee dominates COTER agenda | 13 July 2015 | On 13 July the COTER commission held a debate in the presence of the EP REGI committee Chair Ms Mihaylova where members debated about topics of common interest such as the implementation and simplification of cohesion policy, cross border cooperation, the EU Urban Agenda.
Mr Kieran McCarthy, EA acting coordinator for the meeting, thanked th ... |
COTER / BUDG commissions' rapporteurs discuss EU budget 2016 | 13 July 2015 | The priorities of the EU annual budget for 2016 were at the heart of the discussion between COTER members and Ms Nadia Calviño, Director-General for Budget of the European Commission. Mr Uno Silberg (EE/EA), CoR rapporteur on the Draft EU Budget for 2016, voiced local leaders' full appreciation for the main proposals made by the Commission: en ... |
Truskolaski opinion on Capital Markets Union adopted by CoR plenary | 08 July 2015 | The EU efforts to build a Capital Markets Union must promote small and medium enterprises' access to new sources of finance, allowing them to grow and expand to new markets. This call was the core political message of the opinion adopted on 8 July by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).
"The building of a Capital Markets Union ... |
We need an Energy Union for the people said Cllr. Andrew Cooper | 08 July 2015 | On 8 July, CoR members discussed with the European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič on the role of regions and cities in the Energy Union flagship initiative.
The EA Group coordinator in the ENVE commission, Cllr Andrew Cooper underlined that real energy security for future generations will only be achieved through serious investment in e ... |
ENVE endorses Thomas opinion on ocean energy | 30 June 2015 | On 30 June the ENVE commission adopting the opinion of the member of the Welsh assembly Mr Thomas have called for more EU investment to be funnelled into ocean energy. As part of the drive towards creating a more sustainable economy, the local leaders note that renewable energy from tides and waves could satisfy 10-15% of EU power demand by 2050 a ... |
EA President participates in the high level conference on Multilevel Governance | 04 June 2015 | On 4 June 2015 Mr Stanislaw Szwabski, EA President participated in the high level conference organised by the Polish Delegation to the CoR on "Europe level up = governance level down. Decentralisation and multilevel governance as key factors for a stronger Europe". 25 years ago in Poland the self-government level was restored as a ... |
EU reform debate: Maintaining the status quo is not an option, said Karl Vanlouwe | 03 June 2015 | During the debate on the future of the EU in the presence of the MEPs Elmar Brok, Mercedes Bresso and Guy Verfhostadt, the EA Group member Karl Vanlouwe made a plea for a comprehensive reform of the EU.
The latest elections results across the EU do provide clear signs that the EU does not have sufficient support. The EU must change to ... |
CoR Bureau agrees on Cllr Buchanan own-initiative opinion on CAP simplification | 02 June 2015 | The CoR Bureau meeting held on Tuesday 2nd June 2015, agreed on issuing an own-initiative opinion proposed By Mr Anthony Buchanan, 1st Vive President of NAT commission on the simplification of CAP. While the CAP has been agreed for 2014-2020 there is still a need for further simplification. Thus, it is of great importance that the CoR ... |
Urban and rural policies must be part of the same agenda | 12 May 2015 |
At its meeting in Riga, the COTER commission discussed with the European Commission about areas of cooperation.
When it comes to the urban agenda the EA group members declared:" We see there is a bias towards urban areas that makes rural development secondary. We would like to see greater integration between regional as well as ... |
McCarthy Presents Survey On Operational Programmes | 12 May 2015 | On 12 May, during the COTER meeting, Kieran McCarthy, EA member on the EU2020 Steering group presented the survey on the involvement of LRAs in the design and implementation of operational programmes which feed into a CoR opinion.
The Cork city councillor, while presenting the findings of the survey, said: "While some LRAs have bee ... |
BUDG Working Group get to grips with Financial Instruments | 12 May 2015 | On 12 May, the working group on Budget met for the first time in Riga since the start of the new CoR mandate 2015-2020. After the election of the President, in the person of Albert Bore, members discussed in the presence of the European Commission and the EIB on how to boost the use of financial instruments. Financial instruments are an important ... |
ECON commission approve the opinion on Capital Markets Union | 07 May 2015 | On 7 May Members of the ECON Commission, approved the opinion of Mr Tadeusz Truskolaski, the Mayor of Bialystok, EA Group coordinator on the Capital Markets union. The creation of the union capital markets is one of the main priorities of the European Commission in the current term.
"In my opinion, regional and local authorities feel c ... |
NAT Commission focuses its discussions on Aquaculture and Civil Protection | 05 May 2015 | The NAT commission met in Brussels on the 05th May 2015 and discussed the opinion on aquaculture and Civil Protection. Cllr Tony Buchanan, 1st Vice Chair of the NAT Commission welcomed the own-initiative opinion on aquaculture and said: "Scotland is the largest producer of farmed salmon in the EU. These sea farms are a key sou ... |
ENVE discuss LRAs contribution to Energy Union and climate change talks | 04 May 2015 | On 4 May the ENVE commission met to discuss the EU flagship initiatives Energy Union and the climate change negotiations and the contribution of local and regional authorities. The ENVE commission also discussed the opinion of the EA member Rhodri Glyn Thomas on developing the potential of Ocean Energy.
Stewart Maxwell, Vice President of th ... |
SEDEC focuses on Employment, a Living Wage & Audiovisual Services in Santander | 29 April 2015 | During the last SEDEC commission meeting on 29-30 April 2015 in Santander, Spain the COR members discussed 3 opinions: Employment Guidelines, Standards of remuneration in employment in the EU (A Living Wage), Review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and The role of Social Economy in combating unemployment and restoring growth. ... |
Thomas holds key meetings with MEP to discuss potential of Ocean Energy | 20 April 2015 | On 20 April Rhodri Glyn Thomas, Member of the Welsh Assembly and Rapporteur on the own initiative opinion on Ocean Energy met with Sean Kelly, MEP and Derek Vaughan, MEP to discuss about the huge potential of tidal lagoon, tidal stream and wave technologies in achieving climate change objectives and delivering sustainable growth and green jobs at ... |
Silberg elected Vice President of the CoR Interregional Group “Baltic Sea Regions” | 17 April 2015 | On the 17th April Uno Silberg was elected as the 2nd Vice President of the CoR Interregional Group “Baltic Sea Regions”. He was delighted to accept this prestigious position and said: "it is important that the Baltic Sea Region has a coherent policy strategy which will be of benefit to all its citizens and this needs to feed into th ... |
Cllr Stenson calls on the EU Investment package to fund on-farm investments | 16 April 2015 | In a major debate on the future of the dairy industry held in the Committee of the Regions in Brussels on the 16th April Leitrim County Councillor Enda Stenson called for measures to ensure that farming can be a secure, sustainable industry that can attract and retain young people.
Cllr Stenson said that Milk quotas are now gone and now we ... |
EA Group first Vice President reports on local elections in Gagauzia, Moldova | 22 March 2015 | On 22 March 2015, the EA GROUP 1st Vice President Karim Van Overmeire took part in a joint CoR-Council of Europe Election observation Mission in the autonomous region of Gagauzia (Moldova). This election was for a Bashkan (Governor) of the autonomous region who automatically becomes a member of the government which is currently pro EU and based in ... |
Thomas appointed as rapporteur on Developing the potential of Ocean Energy | 18 March 2015 | Rhodri Glyn Thomas has been appointed ENVE rapporteur on "Developing the potential of Ocean Energy". The Seas and oceans and lagoons offer a promising future as they could provide unlimited clean energy. With this own-initiative opinion the rapporteur would like to draw attention to the huge potential of ocean energy in achieving c ... |
EA President welcomes the focus on decreasing the Digital Divide in Europe | 18 March 2015 | The CoR bureau meeting in Riga discussed the reduction of the Digital Divide in Europe and also the use of the EU investment package to develop digital infrastructure as well as making it more accessible across the European Union.
The European Alliance Group President Mr Szwabski welcomed this focus but criticized the decision of the EU Cou ... |
EA President highlights the importance of Energy Security and Neighbourhood policy | 17 March 2015 | At a meeting of the enlarged Conference of Presidents in Riga on the 17th March the European Alliance President Mr Szwabski highlighted the need of the CoR to focus its work on Energy Security which is of paramount importance to economic development in Europe. He also said that more attention needs to be placed on neighbourhood policy. ... |
Stenson calls for healthy food to be distributed in schools | 12 March 2015 | On 12 March 2015 NAT commission organised the seminar entitled Action Plan for the future of organic production in the EU: time for regions to act. Organic production is an overall system of farm management and food production that combines best environmental practices, a high level of biodiversity, the preservation of natural resources and th ... |
ENVE Commission discuss priorities with Commissioner Vella and EP ENVI chair La Via | 03 March 2015 | On 3 March the ENVE commission debated future priorities with the European Commission and the European Parliament in the presence of Commissioner Vella and the ENVI committee Chair, Mr La Via.
The EA coordinator in the ENVE commission, Mr Andrew Cooper, questioned the European Commission's ambition concerning the future circular economy ... |
Urban-rural balance is key to ensuring territorial cohesion, says Augusto Rollandin | 02 March 2015 | On 2 March the COTER commission met to discuss the implementation of the EU 2020 Territorial Agenda, Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes and the European Fund for Strategic Investment ( EFSI).
The EA coordinator in the COTER commission and President of Valle D'Aosta Region, Augusto Rollandin, stated that "urban-rural balan ... |
Truskolaski appointed Rapporteur on the Green Paper on Capital Market Union | 27 February 2015 | At the ECON commission meeting on the 27 February 2015 Mr Tadeusz Truskolaski, President of Białystok was allocated an opinion on Green Paper on Capital Markets Union. Capital Markets Union is a key issue which is highly relevant in the debate surrounding the financing of SMEs and growth, as well as in relation to the completion of the single marke ... |
Subsidiarity must be at the core of CIVEX agenda, said EA coordinator Karl Vanlouwe | 24 February 2015 | The CIVEX commission adopted today the Work Programme of the commission for 2015 and discussed future priorities.
The EA Group political coordinator in the CIVEX commission and member of the Flemish Parliament underlined that Subsidiarity, as well as migration and security issues should be prioritized. When it comes to Subsidiarity, Mr Karl Vanlou ... |
Szwabski welcomes set up of the CoR-Ukraine Task force | 24 February 2015 | In the afternoon session of the CIVEX meeting, a high level debate on the state of decentralization in Ukraine took place in the presence of the member of the Ukraine Parliament Mr Goncharenko, deputy minister for regional development Mr Nehoda, and president of Kharkiv regional council and head of delegation of the Ukrainian local authorities in C ... |
European Alliance Group President congratulates the newly elected CoR President | 12 February 2015 | European Alliance group President Mr Stanisław Szwabski warmly congratulated Mr Markku Markkula on becoming the new President of the Committee of the Regions. At a time when Europe is in crisis with challenges to maintain peace across the continent and deep economic challenges it is time to group together as local and regional authorities to ... |
TTIP has huge potential but culture must be excluded, said EA member Karl Vanlouwe | 12 February 2015 | The EA member and Member of the Flemish Parliament, Karl Vanlouwe, while addressing commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom during the plenary session of the Committee of the Regions underlined the potential of the TTIP for the European economy and for SMEs, although concerns remained over transparency, ISDS clause and stakeholders involvement."Despite ... |
The European Alliance Group elects its new President | 04 February 2015 | Today the European Alliance Group (EA) members, during its extraordinary meeting in Brussels, unanimously elected Mr Stanislaw Szwabski as President of the Group. Mr Szwabski is Councillor of the city of Gdynia, Poland and has been a CoR Member since 2008.
Mr Karim Van Overmeire, member of the Flemish Parliament (N-VA), was unanimously elected as ... |
The European Alliance group condemns the barbaric attacks in Paris | 07 January 2015 | The European Alliance group strongly condemns the barbaric attack in which 12 people were killed in Paris. Dr Uno Silberg said: our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who have lost their lives. There is no reason that can ever justify such brutal murders. He hoped that those responsible will be brought to jus ... |
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